Andre` Daguin`s New Book Reveals Some Closely Guarded Secrets

Of Gascony`s Cuisine

July 20, 1989|By Susie Goldstein.

In Gascony, a small region in southwestern France, the village women do not exchange their recipes with one another, but keep them secret and guard them jealously. Thus any chance of compiling a regional cookbook would be slim, indeed.

However, Andre Daguin, one of France`s most famous chefs and the owner of the Michelin two-star restaurant in his Hotel de Auch, has captured the rich flavors of this region of France and assembled a cookbook of recipes that gives us just what the title proclaims: ``Fois Gras, Magret, and Other Good Food from Gascony`` (Random House, $19.95).

With co-author Anne de Ravel, Daguin invites us to produce such dishes as leg-of-lamb Gascon-style, fois gras baked in a pineapple, brochettes of salmon, smoked magret (duck breast) and mushrooms.

Doing so isn`t alway easy. Some of the ingredients called for are expensive and the recipes can be time-consuming. Yet the results are well worth the effort.

Two of the less complicated recipes were tried in The Tribune test kitchen and both met with mouth-watering reviews. Grilled chicken with mustard calls for some intricate boning, then a rubbing with an herbed mustard butter. The final result was moist and delicious, but we had trouble with the directions for boning, so we added some American ingenuity and simply used a chef`s knife to whack the chicken in half and then bone it. If you try it, we suggest you do the same.

The prune tart, generously studded with plumped prunes, is rich with the aroma of almonds and is easy to make. Finely ground almonds are the base of the prune filling and the flaky butter crust melts and crumbles with each bite. Only a small amount of Armagnac is needed to flavor the tart before brushing it to shiny perfection with apricot preserves.

These two recipes alone may be worth the price of the book and its rich information on handling and preparation of costly fois gras and other foods. If you are committed to this style of cooking, you will find wonderful uses for these ingredients.

A local source for fresh fois gras, magret, moulard ducks and game is Wild Game Inc., 2315 W. Huron St.

The following recipes are adapted from ``Fois Gras, Magret, and Other Good Food from Gascony``:

BROILED CHICKEN WITH MUSTARD (PETIT POULET GRILLE A LA MOUTARDE)

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Standing time: 1 hour

Broiling time: 15 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

The result of this dish is moist and tangy.

4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons strong Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons dried thyme

3 teaspoons minced fresh mint

Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste

1 small chicken, 2 3/4 pounds

1. Combine butter, mustard, herbs, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Put chicken, breast side up, on work surface. Cut beneath the skin and flesh along the ridge of the breast bone with a sharp knife. Starting on one side, run the knife between the bone and the flesh, scraping and pulling the meat. Cut through the joint of the shoulder to release wing from carcass. Repeat on other side. Remove and discard carcass. Flatten the meat slightly by pounding it with a mallet or the bottom of a heavy saucepan. Rub the mustard mixture all over the chicken, then put on a baking sheet. Let stand 1 hour.

3. Heat broiler. Put chicken on top shelf of oven under broiler about 4 inches from heat and cook 5 minutes. Lower shelf to 8 inches and cook until golden brown and juices run clear when pierced, about 10 minutes. Serve with accumulated juices.

PRUNE TART (TARTE AUX PRUNEAUX)

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Chilling time: 1 hour

Baking time: 30 to 40 minutes

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

The almond aroma blends nicely with the Armagnac.

Crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2-3 tablespoons water

Filling:

3 cups dried pitted prunes

Juice of 1/2 lemon

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup confectioners` sugar

3 large eggs

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups almonds, finely ground

1/4 cup Armagnac

1/3 cup apricot preserves, warmed, strained

1. For the crust, combine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into small cubes and add to bowl. Mix it with the flour, using the tips of your fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the water, a tablespoon at at time, to form a soft dough. Use only as much water as needed to form the dough. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a circle to fit a 10-inch tart pan. Lay dough over pan and gently press it against bottom and sides with your fingers. Trim excess dough. Refrigerate 1 hour, or until ready to use.

2. For the filling, put prunes in a bowl and cover with hot water. Stir in lemon juice and set aside until plumped, about 30 minutes. Drain and set sside until ready to use.

3. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addtition. Fold in flour and ground almonds.

4. Pour into prepared tart pan. Smooth it out with a spatula, and arrange prunes on top. Bake until surface turns golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven. Pour Armagnac over tart. Cool a few minutes, then brush with warm apricot preserves. Serve at room temperature. -